Portable record player



Jan. 13, 1970 D. F. KAMlNSKl ETAL 3,489,472

PORTABLE RECORD PLAYER Filed Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1970 D. F. KAMINSKI ETAL 3, 7

PORTABLE RECORD PLAYER Filed Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,489,472 PORTABLE RECORD PLAYER Donald F. Kaminski, Woodridge, Ernest O. P. Tatter, Addison, and William H. Beaubien, Mundelein, Ill., assignors to Warwick Electronics, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 695,050 Int. Cl. G11b 1/00; A47b 88/18 US. Cl. 3128 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable phonograph of the lay down type including, a base having the record playing components therein, and a pair of movable speaker enclosures which normally form a cover for the base. The speaker enclosures are movable from a first, or cover forming position, to a second position disposed at right angles with respect thereto, to expose the speakers in the enclosures. The enclosures are also movable to a third position rotated 180 from the second position to space the enclosures from one another, and for still further improved sound separating, the enclosures are completely detachable from the base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the past, problems have been encountered in adapting portable phonographs for the playing of stereophonic records, in that the record playing structure and dual speaker arrangement required for this purpose has usually made such a unit so cumbersome as to be diflicult to transport from place to place. In one known type of portable phonograph, the unit is positioned in an upright disposition in the playing position, and the record playing components have been mounted for movement between an upright position for transportation purposes and a horizontal position for playing of records. The speaker enclosures are conventionally attached to the sides of a housing having the record playing components therein, and this arrangement has significantly increased the overall length of the unit. Also, in known portable phono graphs, no means have been provided for properly positioning the speaker enclosures relative to one another for the optimum reproduction of stereophonic records.

SUMMARY The portable phonograph of the present invention obviates the problems noted above by providing an extremely compact unit wherein the speaker enclosures normally form a cover for a base or housing that contains the rec- 0rd playing components. The present invention includes a novel hinge arrangement that enables the speaker enclosures to swing 90 from the base covering position to expose the speakers in the enclosures. The hinge arrangement includes a further means allowing each speaker enclosure to be rotated 180 to space the speaker enclosures from one another and to locate them in an appropriate position for creating the desired degree of sound separation during the playing of stereophonic records. The hinge arrangement also allows the speaker enclosures to be completely detached from the base, when desired, to further enhance the sound separation effect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the portable phonograph of the present invention',

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view, similar to FIG. 1, but with the speaker enclosures having been pivoted to a position to expose the speakers;

3,489,472 Patented Jan. 13, 1970 "ice DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail an embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

The portable phonograph of the present invention is illustrated in its entirety at 10 in FIG. 1, and the structure of phonograph 10 is hereafter described in relationship to the phonograph being positioned in a record playing position, such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Phonograph 10 includes an open cup shaped base 11 having the record playing components therein, and base 11 includes a bottom wall 12, outwardly inclined side walls 13, an upright rear wall 14, and an upright front Wall 15. Two or more transversely extending ribs 16 are provided on the lower surface of bottom wall 12 for supporting the unit 10 on a surface during record playing. An enlarged head 17 extends around the periphery of the base at the upper end of upright walls 13, 14 and 15, and the function of bead 17 will be set forth hereinafter. An inverted U- shaped carrying handle 18 is provided at the front of the unit, and the handle 18 includes a central gripping portion 19 spaced from front wall 15, and generally parallel side portions 19a, the outer surfaces of which merge with the outer surfaces of the sides 13 of the base 11.

As can be best seen in FIG. 2, the record playing components are carried by a support member 20 within base 11, and support member 20 is generally parallel with bottom wall 12 and downwardly offset slightly from the upper ends of upright walls 13, 14 and 15. The record playing components include a turntable 21 that is mounted for rotation with respect to support member 20, and a record supporting spindle 22 extends upwardly centrally of turntable 21. The record playing components further include a tone arm 23 having a cartridge and stylus assembly thereon, with the stylus being adapted to track the groove of a record rotating with turntable 21. A pressure arm 24 is mounted for movement relative to support member 20, and serves to retain a stack of records on the record supporting shelf of the spindle 22 in a horizontal disposition. A control panel 25 is provided at one side of support member 20, and includes a plurality of function selecting knobs to control the operation of the record player.

The unit 11 includes a pair of generally identically shaped speaker enclosures 26 that normally cover the open upper end of the base 11, as is shown in FIG. 1. The speaker enclosures 26 are of opposite hand, but have the same structure, so that common reference numbers are utilized to represent the corresponding elements of each enclosure. Each speaker enclosure 26 is a generally inverted cup shaped member that includes top wall 27,

downwardly and outwardly inclined side wall 28, downwardly and outwardly inclined front wall 29, and downwardly and outwardly inclined rear wall 30. A generally rectangular shaped opening is provided in eachtop wall 27, and an upraised rib 31 extends around each opening. A speaker 33 (FIG. 6) is secured in each enclosure 26, and a suitable grill cloth 32 extends across the openings in walls 27 in front of the speakers. A skirt 34 extends around enclosure walls 28, 29 and 30, and a bead 35 extends downwardly from skirt 34, with the bead 35 being received within the lip 17 at the upper end of the base walls, when the speaker enclosures are in the position shown in FIG. 1.

The hinge means of the present invention will be best understood from a consideration of FIGS. 36, and the hinge means support the enclosures 26 for movement from a first or base closing position illustrated in FIG. 1 to a second position removed 90 therefrom wherein the enclosures are upright to expose the speakers 33. To this end, means are provided which define a first pivot axis parallel to the bottom wall 12 of base 11 rearwardly of and parallel to rear wall 14, and this means includes a first hinge member 36 and a second hinge member 37, it being understood that identical hinge members are provided for each of the speaker enclosures. Hinge members 36 and 37 are secured to the rear wall 14 of base 11 at spaced positions by suitable fasteners such as screws 38. Hinge member 36 includes a pair of laterally spaced bosses 39, each having an aligned bore 40 therein. Hinge member 37 includes an enlarged boss 41 having a bore 42 therein, that is aligned with the bores 40 in member 36. Aligned bores 40 and 42 cooperate to collectively define the first pivot axis about which the speaker enclosures move in a plane perpendicular to the bottom surface 12 of base 11. Hinge member 37 includes a shelf 43 that extends outwardly from the rear wall 14 of the base 11, and the upper surface 43a of shelf 43 provides a support surface that is parallel to the bottom wall 12 of base 11.

Speaker enclosures 26 are mounted for movement about the above described first axis by a first pivot rod 44 that is freely slidably and pivotally received in bores 40 and 42. A coupling member 45 includes an internally threaded bore 46 which receives the externally threaded end of rod 44, and an insert plug 48 is force fit into the end of bore 46 to close the same. Each coupling member 45 is connected to an enclosure 26 by means to be hereafter described, it being understood that the speaker enclosures are detachable from the base 11, as for example with the left enclosure of FIG. 3, by merely sliding rod 44 to the left to disengage the rod from hinge members 36 and 37. Suitable latch means, not shown, are preferably provided on base front wall 15 and enclosure front wall 29 to retain the speaker enclosures in the position of FIG. 1 for transportation purposes. Coupling members 45 include a transverse abutment 49 at one side thereof that is engageable with a stop surface 50 at the end of the boss 41 of hinge member 37 to properly locate the speaker enclosure when it is placed upon the base 11. Coupling members 45 include a rounded portion 47 (FIG. 6) that enables the coupling members 45 to be freely pivoted from the position of FIG. 4 to the position of FIGS. -6. In the position of FIG. 5, the speaker enclosures 26 are positioned generally perpendicularly with respect to the bottom wall 12 of the base to expose the speaker within each enclosure. Each coupling member 45 includes a flattened lower surface 45a that rests upon the upper surface 43a of shelf 43 to properly locate the enclosure 26 in the position of FIG. 5.

The means connecting the speaker enclosures to the coupling members 45 include further pivot rods 52 having externally threaded ends received within an internally threaded bore 51 in coupling member 45. Pivot rods 52 are freely slidably received in elongate bores 53 in enlargements 54 that are provided in the speaker enclosures adjacent side walls 28. A C-washer 55 is provided in a circumferential groove in each pivot rod 52, and abutments 5.6 in the speaker enclosures adjacent wall 28 rest upon washers 55 to partially support the speaker enclosuresin the upright positions illustrated in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6.

When it is desired to space the speaker enclosures from one another to enhance sound separation, the speaker enclosures are rotated 180 from the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIGS. 2 and 6. Means are provided for releasably retaining the enclosures in the position of FIGS. 2 and 6, and this means includes a female member 57 on the rear wall 30 of each enclosure, each member 57 having an elongate recess 58 therein. The retaining means further includes a male member in the form of the enlarged rib 17 at the upper end of base side wall 13 which is receivable in the recess 58 of member 57, as can be best seen in FIG. 7, to releasably retain the speaker enclosures in the positions of FIGS. 2 and 6. To disengage the enclosure retaining means the speaker enclosures are lifted with the enlargement 54 moving relative to rod 52 until washer 55 engages the upper surface 54a of enlargement 54. The enclosure may then be pivoted 180 to the position of FIG. 5, and if it is desired to close the record player, the enclosures are then pivoted forwardly from the position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 4.

We claim:

1. A portable record player comprising: a base having record playing components therein, said base being adapted to be positioned with its bottom on a support; means on said base defining a first pivot axis generally arallel to the bottom of the base; first and second speaker enclosures; means mounting said speaker enclosures on said base for pivotal movement about said first axis between a first position wherein said enclosures close the top of said base and a second position generally perpendicular to said first position; and means defining second and third pivot axes spaced from and parallel with one another, said last named means being movable with said speaker enclosures to dispose said second and third axes in a plane generally parallel with the bottom of said base in the first position of said speaker enclosures and in a plane generally perpendicular to the bottom of said base in the second position of said speaker enclosures, said first speaker enclosure being connected to said means defining the second pivot axis at a location outwardly of the centerline of said first speaker enclosure for pivotal movement about said second axis and said second speaker enclosure being connected to said means defining the third pivot axis at a location outwardly of the centerline of said second speaker enclosure for pivotal movement about said third axis, whereby said speaker enclosures may be pivoted relative to one another from said second position to further positions wherein the speaker enclosures are increasingly spaced from one another.

2. A portable record player as set forth in claim 1 in which said record playing components include a turntable, and wherein means on said base supports said turntable for rotation in a plane parallel to the bottom of said base.

3. A portable record player as set forth in claim 1 wherein cooperating means are provided on each speaker enclosure and on said base for retaining said speaker enclosures in a position pivoted about said second and third axes from said second position.

4. A portable record player as set forth in claim 3 wherein said cooperating means includes a female member and a male member positionable in said female member, said speaker enclosures being movable axially of said second and third axes to engage and disengage said female and male members.

5. A portable record player as set forth in claim 4 wherein means is provided for limiting the amount of axial movement of said speaker enclosures.

6. A portable record player as set forth in claim 1 wherein cooperating means are provided in said speaker enclosures and on said base for supporting said speaker enclosures in said second position.

7. A portable record changer as set forth in claim 6 wherein said cooperating means includes first and second shelves on said base, one shelf for each speaker enclosure and each shelf having a support surface disposed in a plane parallel to the bottom of said base, and wherein said cooperating means further includes an abutment on each speaker enclosure, each abutment having a surface positionable on the support surface of its respective shelf when the speaker enclosure is in the second position.

8. A portable record changer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means mounting said speaker enclosures on said base are freely movable along said first axis, whereby said speaker enclosure can be completely detached from said base. I

9. A portable sound unit comprising: a base having sound components therein, said base adapted to be positioned with its bottom on a support; first and second speaker enclosures having a first position to close the top of said base and a second position generally perpendicular to said first position; and a pair of double pivot hinges associated one with each of said speaker enclosures and said base and connected to each speaker enclosure adjacent the outer edge thereof, said hinges being rhounted on said base in alignment to define a first pivot axis for movement of the speaker enclosures between said first and second positions, and the second pivot of each hinge defining an enclosure pivot axis extending adjacent the outer edge of each enclosure whereby said speaker enclosures can be pivotally moved away from each other for stereo sound separation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 312325 

